JEMS should be a hit with the basics...

[spenac]

Thanks for the heads up. I have been making similar comments to the staff. I will relay your concerns to the Publisher Jeff Berend. They do listen.

In answer to "where has that guy been?"

Brisbane

Gold Coast

Cairns

Tokyo

Los Angeles

Panama City

Orlando

San Antonio

Syracuse

Chicago (twice)

Las Vegas

That is just the last six weeks. I am sitting in Chicago and literally beat. IAFF is over Thursday and time off is coming soon as soon as conference season slows down. Thanks for asking.

Bryan

Well Doc when to you have time to play um well doctor?

[Doczilla]

Prehospital Emergency Care.

http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/10903127.asp

'zilla

[spenac]

Prehospital Emergency Care.

http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/10903127.asp

'zilla

Zilla are you going to give us all gift subscriptions? I would need doctor money to afford that. But it does look like you actually get some meaty articles instead of the fluff that so many mags put out.

[Dustdevil]

In light of JEMS recently exhibiting at EMStock here in Texas, and handing out free copies like there was no tomorrow, I thought I'd revisit this thread.

When Squint and I first started looking at the June 2008 copy at EMStock, the first thing he noticed was the cover photo. He complained about how the child patient in the photo was improperly immobilised. Then I pointed out to him that the caregivers in that photo were from Alberta and I didn't see him for the rest of the night.

I absolutely stand by everything I said in previous statements in this thread. I really do not think that JEMS has grown with the profession. But it's not all bad. It's kind of like a trailer park. It may not be much to be proud of, but there are a few good people living there, and it is "home". Some of the obvious positives:

• It is a voice. Or, more precisely, a cacophony of voices for our profession. Yes, those who really need to be heard most are not heard enough, but still it provides us a forum. Let's face it, quite obviously a lot of people in EMS simply aren't literate enough for the web thing yet.

It's a stable voice. It is well funded, internationally known, and stably managed. We can count on it being there today and tomorrow.

The flashy pictures and blinking lights draw people in. Why do you think Metallica uses explosions at their concerts? It doesn't add anything to the music, but it sure generates interest and excitement, and it keeps people coming back. In any business, including show business (of which JEMS is a part), you gotta have a hook. That is JEMS' hook.

The tendency of JEMS to assure that all types of EMS are covered, from urban to rural to wilderness, and everything in-between, helps a lot of people in EMS keep from becoming professionally isolated, so less of them spend their careers believing all EMS operates just like their little system does. It gives people exposure to a variety of systemic types and theories that help them to develop and grow.

The ads can be maddening, but they too keep us abreast of technical developments that help us to provide better care, easier, and without all the Afro engineering we often resort to when a suitable device could be used more safely. And honestly, after looking through the entire issue, I only found two products advertised that seemed to be aimed at the whacker population instead of the industry as a whole. That's not bad at all! For those of you who remember "Emergency Product News", you know how amazing that is. EPN was a monthly advertisement for DynaMed whacker supplies disguised as a trade journal. Pretty much every advertisement in there, except for two, were for major purchase products that, while a whacker might like to own one, is not likely to be affording one.

Dr. Bryian Bledsoe is, of course, the voice of reason within JEMS. One of the few in an entire industry to stand up to political correctness and slay the sacred dragons that stifle the profession. And the only way you will hear his wisdom any sooner than JEMS is to move in with him. On second thought, knowing how seldom he is home, JEMS is going to be the best way to keep up with what he has to offer our profession. That alone is worth the subscription price.

Dr. Keith Wesley, whom I had the great pleasure of spending quality time with last week, is another of the top voices at JEMS. The Director of EMS for the State of Minnesota works hard to bring relevant scientific research to EMS so that we can begin to incorporate some intelligent data into our practice. I hate to say that he "dumbs it down" for us, but essentially, that is what he does. But God bless him for doing it, and for having the confidence in us to believe that it will make a difference. Rid and others have criticised the EMS journals for not being scientifically relevant, and now JEMS is working on it. Small steps. Take advantage of this gift.

David Becker... man! I really could not care less if medics in the field read JEMS or not, but I sure wish every EMS manager and administrator in the country would read David Becker's columns! He is not a fan of tradition, or doing things the way we have always done them. There is as much relevant science to guide our administrative policies as there is our medical practice, and his column is all about sharing that science with them. Read his columns and you may even decide you would like to be a manager yourself. I hate to take hearty exception to his hard stance against private EMS, believing that even the worst firemonkey EMS is better than the best private provider. He's way out in left field on that one. Regardless, his advice remains relevant to providers of all types.

Anne Maggiore does a legal column for JEMS. All I know is that she is smokin' hott, and that's good enough for me! But seriously, I only wish her column ran more often, because it always tackles an issue that is relevant to almost every one of us, from abandonment to shift work. The silly issues we all argue about, but never bother to ask a lawyer about because after all, we know all we need to know about the law from EMT school, right? Not only are her columns spot-on, but she is personally very responsive to feedback. Got a legal question about EMS? If she hasn't already covered it, send her a note and suggest it!

• All of these people are responsive to feedback. They are not JEMS employees. In fact, if you complain about JEMS to them, they're likely to agree with you. They are regular people like you and me who are doing their part to help improve the profession, and using whatever outlet they can find to do so. They love to hear from you. If you read something at JEMS.com that gets you thinking, comment on the article! Right there on the site! Don't send a personal e-mail to the author. Post it on the site so that JEMS knows that people are reading and appreciating that author, so they will be encouraged to contribute even more.

Am I going to subscribe to JEMS? Nah. I'm too old for that now. I'm not even in EMS anymore. But I still care. And I will still read the website and contribute my thoughts to the dialogue there. I'm not saying that you should subscribe either. But if you, like me, can see some good things that are happening there, then I encourage you to tell them so. Let them know what you like. Let them know what you don't like. Bryan is right. They do listen.

[tniuqs]

When Squint and I first started looking at the June 2008 copy at EMStock, the first thing he noticed was the cover photo. He complained about how the child patient in the photo was improperly immobilised. Then I pointed out to him that the caregivers in that photo were from Alberta and I didn't see him for the rest of the night.

It was from Cow Town what do you expect ?

It wasn't as much a complaint as it was disgust.

On the front page of an internationally accepted magazine?

Who is doing the editing anyway ?

Have to agree with you Wesley rocks on, he wants feedback from the guys and gals in the streets.

Feedback is good for everyone.

[vivibonita]

Oooh, where can I get one of these bright colored beepy things?

ooh I know, I know !!!

[spoil:332a4bc73e]Just flip through the countless pages of advertising in [/spoil:332a4bc73e]

[Eric]

we get firehouse and jems here but most of us just read guns and ammo

[Timmy]

The only EMS magazine I’ve seen in Aussie is “lights and sirens” which is posted by the state ambulance service along with your membership renewal. It’s just about how the service is going and so on, not at all clinical related and aimed at the general public.

I have seen a few nurse ones floating around the hospital but can only imagine there published by the union and again have limited clinical relevance.

Another stab at sports medicine. As part of your insurance they post you a quarterly magazine and yearly journal. The magazine is a waste of space, they put stupid, pointless articles in regards to data and statistics of how many athletes are injured in a certain sport or the rate of dental injuries and mouth guards. The journal is ok if you’re a professor of Sports Medicine. Nothing relevant that will broaden my education to aid the players at a grass roots level.

Thumbs down to magazines.

[bigj1130]

Dust,

You make very valid points about Wesley, Maggiore, Becker, and Bledsoe. I think that is why I personally only read the online content in JEMS. My subscription lapsed 2 years ago and I did not see a need to subscribe again as I found my dream career, I didn't want to work for Southwest Ambulance, and I wasn't going to buy a whole bunch of Geezer Squeezers ( Auto Pulse) so I just read those contributors online. I also will occasionally read Will Chapleau and his trauma articles but even he has gotten a little out there and really hasn't said anything new in a while.

Now to comment on EMT-Bs loving this issue... WTF no more education but here you go have some drugs and IVs. Stepping back the profession 36 years IMO. Not to beat a dead horse... How bout more education and be better at your scope of practice. Let basics do BLS and Paramedics do BLS and ALS. Most Paramedics don't know why they give certain drugs... so lets give basics the same thing and they won't know why the administer the brown box when someone is in cardiac arrest. ](*,) :violent2:

[Dustdevil]

Now to comment on EMT-Bs loving this issue... WTF no more education but here you go have some drugs and IVs. Stepping back the profession 36 years IMO. Not to beat a dead horse... How bout more education and be better at your scope of practice. Let basics do BLS and Paramedics do BLS and ALS. Most Paramedics don't know why they give certain drugs... so lets give basics the same thing and they won't know why the administer the brown box when someone is in cardiac arrest.

Interesting timing for this comment. There is currently a debate going on the TexasEMS listserver, where an experienced and well respected CCEMT-P, national speaker and author is wondering why more systems won't just teach their EMT-Bs to recognise the signs of pre-load dependency and give NTG in the field, consequences, quote, "be damned".

I would wholeheartedly agree with you, that such half-steps, which assign "skills" without pre-requisite education and responsibility, do nothing to advance the profession. And it is the advancement of the profession that will help our patients, not "skills" without context.